Leadership Dinner

Another reason to love my job: student leaders. Last Fri. night, we had 10 students come to the Keltner's apartment to find out more about Campus and how they can be involved. We cooked dinner for them, Matt gave a presentation on who Campus is and what we're all about, we broke into small groups to discuss various aspects of what we're doing this semester and then came back together for a "STINT-imony" from Michele and a summery of our small group discussions. At the end, we prayed and had the students fill out a response card where they could indicate what they wanted to help with this semester. It was awesome! We had great discussions and the response cards show a high level of student interest to get involved! This is big!!! It felt to me almost like a culmination of my time here in Berlin. This is what we've been working towards for so long (student ownership and involvement). I now feel very confident that as I leave my post here in Germany, I can see (by faith of course) how God is going to continue to feed this movement and do cool things here in Berlin. It's an incredible feeling, to be a part of something like this and to get to see fruit in a very tangible way. I'm very thankful.

This is why I love my job...

To be honest, it's been a bit hard to begin the semester and get back out there on campus. Initiating spiritual conversations can be exhausting and encountering the same overwhelming sense of spiritual apathy from person to person can be disheartening. This is why I'm convinced that God has given me two moments in the past couple of days that show me without a doubt that He is really working and He is pursuing students here.

On Tuesday, Amanda and I talked to a girl on the TU courtyard who, when asked about what she thinks happens after death, told us that she's honestly never thought about it before. Growing up in East Germany, she doesn't have any sort of spiritual background, just atheistic assumptions about the world. But she was so open and friendly and even though she's never thought about God before, after talking to us, she said now she probably will. I was able to share a bit of my testimony and the gospel with her and she honestly spoke of her fears of having something else control her life. But she really wants to meet up again to continue to discuss these things. I praise God for her openness and desire to seek the truth.

Then, just today, Jennie and I had a conversation with a student in a HU mensa who had a very similar background - no religion, no reason to believe there's anything other than what we can see. But she told us that through going to church with a friend and thinking about it, she decided she believes in God and wants to learn how she can know Him. She so honestly and sincerely told us how she thinks the way to get to Him is out there, but she has so many questions about all the different world religions and wonders how she can know which one is correct. We had a great conversation as Jennie shared about who Jesus is and what makes Christianity different than any other "way" out there. She's anxious to attend some of our events this year, especially Fire-Abend and the HU Bible study once she returns from a month trip in Turkey in India. I'm amazed at how God has put that desire in her to know Him personally and to seek the truth on how to do that. And then put Jennie and I in her path on this journey so we could relate to her and honestly converse with her over her doubts and questions. And of course to encourage her in her search, as we know that being a student can cause you to put so many things first before spiritual questions. I'm excited to see her again and am praying that she'll really think about these things during her trip. (Also, I was able to give her a German "More Than a Carpenter" book that discusses the person of Jesus.)

Awesome. :)

Alle Schöpfung beugt sich vor Dir, dem König

Spring in Berlin is so great. The sun's out, the temperature is warm and even the people are friendlier. I bought myself a new orchid (I had been denying for the months that the one I bought in the fall was going to come back to life). It's picture to the right. I'm so determined to keep this one alive. :)

Last Thurs., I went to a German Maundy Thursday service, which was really cool, because I got to see a lot of German tradition mixed with remembering the Last Supper and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. There's this one ritual where you take nails on a table and place them on the ground. It seems so simple, but it has quite a complex and deep meaning for the German Christians. I had a German try to explain it to me and he started to, but then realized it was too complicated to tell me in English. So I don't quite understand it, but I think it's cool anyway. I had a birthday/Easter combo this year and it was a nice, relaxing day.

The new semester finally starts this Mon. After a month of being more out of country than in country (seriously, I counted the days: 17 in Germany, 14 somewhere else in Europe), I'm very glad to be starting up some sort of routine again. I'm especially excited to see my students that I meet up with regularly. I've been praying hard for them over this semester break and I'm looking forward to see how God has been working in their lives. Please join me in praying that God would do big things this (my final!) semester in Berlin.